Two juveniles at the Cabarrus Juvenile Detention Center in Concord assaulted a staff member and stole his keys on Oct. 10. They freed other youths, triggering a nine-minute disturbance that marks the second such incident at the facility since 2024.
The attack happened around 3:49 p.m. in a unit housing juveniles younger than 18 who face adult criminal charges, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS). WSOC-TV reported the incident.
After overpowering the employee, the juveniles locked him in a room and destroyed his radio, state officials said. They then used his keys to unlock other rooms. Several of the released juveniles began fighting before other staff arrived and restored order about nine minutes later.
The disturbance stayed in one unit.
The injured employee received medical attention and has returned to work, according to DPS. All juveniles involved were evaluated but none required treatment outside the facility.
Several workers had called out on the day of the attack, state officials acknowledged, according to the Charlotte Observer. DPS did not say how many employees were working in the unit when the assault occurred or whether the injured employee had been left alone with the juveniles.
The facility has struggled with staffing shortages for years. As of January, roughly 40 percent of positions at the Cabarrus detention center were vacant, according to William Lassiter, deputy secretary at DPS, as North Carolina Health News reported. Whether the vacancy rate has changed since then is unclear.
The Oct. 10 disturbance echoes a February 2024 incident at the same facility. In that case, a juvenile attacked an employee distributing hygiene supplies, took his keys and helped free several others. Five youths gained control of a housing pod and used damaged equipment as makeshift weapons, according to the Charlotte Observer. That disturbance lasted 35 to 40 minutes and drew responses from the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office and Concord police.
Frank Crawford, advocacy director at the Children's Alliance, a Mecklenburg County network of organizations serving youth and families, said additional state resources could help facilities manage juvenile populations more effectively.
"We always say that if the legislature would allocate for positions to the division, they would be able to staff it a little more," Crawford told WSOC-TV.
State officials said the incident has been reviewed and an action plan is in place. They declined to detail the security changes, saying disclosure could compromise procedures. DPS has not said whether staffing shortages contributed to the assault or whether any employees or juveniles face disciplinary consequences.
